The Bad Popes (Sutton History Classics) [Paperback]

Russell Chamberlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2003 | Series: Sutton History Classics

The Roman Catholic Church has been in existence for two millennia and this institutional longevity is all the more remarkable given that a number of its leaders were, frankly, bad.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eric Russell Chamberlain was born in 1927 and is the author of over thirty books, many of them translated, on European history, culture and travel. He has also written television series on historical conservation. He has been awarded the Regione Sicilia Travel Writing Award and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Surrey. He has written widely.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing (October 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750933372
• ISBN-13: 978-0750933377
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "We cannot serve God & Mammon at the same time"---de' Mussi, May 5, 2005

By 

mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bad Popes (Sutton History Classics) (Paperback)

I picked up The Bad Popes because of its intriguing title. Its cover artwork (my copy has a different, more appealing cover than the one advertised here) and style reminded me of another book with an equally intriguing title also reprinted by Barnes & Noble Books: The Medieval Underworld by Andrew McCall. McCall's work, although interesting and well researched, was very difficult to read. I anticipated Chamberlin's work, first published in 1969, to pose a similar challenge. I was pleasantly surprised. The Bad Popes is sophisticated and scholarly as is Medieval Underworld, but it is much more accessible. I have almost no background knowledge of the topic, but was able to follow along relatively well. It is clearly written, not burdened with details, and even on occasion offers some humor and wit.

Chamberlin briefly goes back to the pagan traditions of Ancient Rome and then to Christophorous' forgery of The Donation of Constantine to establish the point where temporal powers transferred from the emperor to the pope. For example, in 755 A.D. the King of Franks believed in the veracity of the Donation and gave Pope Stephen the keys to 20 cities foreshadowing the Papal states and the pope in the role of feudal lord (p. 17). Such power magnified the attraction of the office and sparked the interest in some of the more greedy and power-hungry candidates to the Papacy. The most interesting story of this period is when Pope Stephen VII had the corpse of Pope Formosus dragged from its tomb to be put on trial (p. 19)

The book divides into six sections and features seven "bad popes" with some information on their predecessors who do not seem that much better. The first section entitled The House of Theophylact covers two popes as well as the senatrix of Rome Marozia and the legend of "Pope Joan." The first pope covered is John XII (955-63) whose biggest crime in Roman eyes was that he gave land to his mistress, but he was also involved with other crimes and would end up being killed by a man who caught John in bed with his wife. Pope Benedict IX (1032-1046) flat out sold the Papacy. I found that the political intrigue surrounding the selection of the popes to be as, if not more, interesting than the events during each pope's reign.

The next five sections each feature one "bad pope." First, Benedict VIII (1294-1303) who was so horrible that Dante had him dragged through all three chapters of the Divine Comedy only to be viciously condemned at the end. Urban VI (1378-89) earned several conspiracy plots against him by the cardinals. When several of his conspirators were tortured, Urban complained that he did not hear enough screaming (p. 153). Nepotism was one of Alexander VI's greatest faults. He reduced the Papacy to his own family and earned such hatred that, upon his death, his corpse lay unattended and swelled to the point where it could barley fit in the coffin (p. 204). Pope Leo X (1513-21) ushered in a "Golden Age" but it was only seen as that by the Papacy because of his free spending. One ceremony cost 1/7 of the reserves left by the previous pope (p. 218). Clement VII is the last pope covered. He, like Leo X, was a member of the legendary Medici family. Centuries of messy politics caught up with him and Rome was caught between France, Spain, and a rising group of German mercenaries known as the landsknecht. Rome fell and the Romans suffered five months of agony at the hands of their conquerors (277). It is amazing how much happened during the seemingly short reigns of these popes. The book ends abruptly. A chapter putting the centuries of "bad popes" into context with information on the behavior of Popes since the Reformation would have been useful, as would a map. The book includes four sections of illustrations and family trees. I recommend this book to anyone intrigued by the title even if one is only slightly interested in the subject due to its accessible, well-written style and its reasonable price.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Reading for Catholics and Protestants Alike, March 16, 2004

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R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bad Popes (Sutton History Classics) (Paperback)

One quick glance at these bad boys and the reformation will make more sense. Well written and historically as accurate as the author was able to create, this book is not only filled with all those things that make an excellent movie, it describes a growing chasim between the church and Europe.

For Protestants this book will afirm the importance of speaking out against corruption.

For Catholics, this book will remind the reader of a dark period of history when corruption fractured the church to the very core.

For both. This is a history book. It is easy to read. It is not a book that attacks the Catholic church or lifts up Protestantism. Catholics and Protestant agree that there have been both good and bad popes. Both agree that these were among the worst. Both agree that the reformation was partially caused by both sides. This should not be viewed as a book that takes sides between churches.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "dark side" of the Papacy, May 17, 2005

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Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bad Popes (Sutton History Classics) (Paperback)

This book retells the lives of 7 "bad" Popes, in the estimation of the author. There are one or two on this list who don't necessarily qualify as "bad", but perhaps "misguided", or just plain "incompetent". The nomenclature, however, belongs to the author, and I will not quibble with his choices. That having been said, I will admit that this book reveals a side of the papacy that is somewhat unknown to the average person today. It's general knowledge that there were sone Popes unworthy of their high position, but that's about all most people really know. This book goes into extensive detail about the Popes on the author's list, and it does an excellent job of pointing out exactly what, in his estimation, were their failings. When viewed in the light of the recent papal conclave which elected Benedict XVI, those early elections, influenced by the Roman mob, political considerations, family connections and outright bribery, it's amazing that the Church survived at all! This is a cautionary tale for everyone interested in the history of the Church and its rulers, and will certainly remove the "rose colored glasses" from the faces of a lot of people.